Judas
by Gallifreyan Ginger
Summary: Follow up to Sober, you have to read that one and its previous sequel Haunted to fully understand this one. Four years later Sam finds himself at the end of the war between Demons and Hunters. Better summary inside.


Title: Judas

Author: Dean's Celtic Pixie

Rating PG-13

Summary: (Follow-up to Sober) Four years have passed since Sam lost his brother. The war between demons and hunters is coming to a turning point. But Sam is faced with betrayal by someone he least expected. When it all comes to an end, is all as it seems or is there hope among the darkness?

A/N: This was idea was actually thought up before the beginning of season 4 but it's been AU since part 2. Part three of a little trilogy of song fics set to Kelly Clarkson songs. Guess you call this the "Haunted Trilogy" but either way, here's the final part. It's a little different than the previous two parts because the lyrics are not in the fic. I felt that they messed with the flow, so if you haven't heard the song, simply google "Kelly Clarkson Judas" for the lyrics. All song lyrics belong to Kelly Clarkson and who ever wrote them and the Supernatural characters within are all Eric Kripke's.

* * *

I look at the cold black pits where lively green used to be. The smile on the once familiar face is cold, uncaring, and murderous. There's a hunger in that smile. The cold black eyes find me, the smile widens, the hunger grows, and I feel my chest clench. My whole body tightens, with fear or shock I don know. As I looked at the person in front of me, I did know one thing.

My brother is dead….

My brother is dead….

Dean is dead and the thing in front of me with his face is not my brother.

The thing's eyes fade from black to green. The smile slips to something painfully familiar.

"Hiya, Sammy. Miss me?"

My eyes close for just a moment as the words grew louder in my head.

_My_ brother is dead…

_***Flashback – 4 Hours ago***_

"Sam, go," Ruby screamed as she fought harder to keep them off me. We'd walked into a trap. We'd foolishly thought they'd be here.

I held my hand out and focused as much as I could. I tried desperately to hold back the new wave of demons coming at us.

"Ruby, no! I pulled us into this, I'm getting us out." I was determined that I would.

There was an explosion of wood and concrete debris to my left. Bobby had been beside me not moments before the explosion. I wave my arm as the demons are flown backwards. There isn't time to exorcise and even if I did, these bodies have been abused to their breaking point. No one would survive. With the demons momentarily stunned, I ran to Bobby. He had a piece of rebar sticking out of his shoulder and a gash on his face.

"Oh, Bobby," I whispered as I checked his wounds.

Ruby is suddenly at my side. Her blonde hair matted against her forehead. "Sam, this is bad. He needs a hospital."

"Ruby, damn it, don't you think I know that? We're surrounded by demons, how the hell do you expect us to get out of here?"

"I don't….at least not all of us. Sam, this war it needs all the good soldiers it can get….it needs you."

"Ruby no-"

"Sam, don't argue, just go. Get Bobby out of here, I'll hold them back. I've done my part in the grand scheme of things. You've got what you need to take that white-eyed bitch down. You don't need me anymore."

Everything in me wanted to tell her otherwise. In the past 4 years she'd somewhat filled the void Dean had left. Shortly after I left the Impala with Bobby, hell had literally broken loose and attacked the hunting world full force. When I'd thought I'd fixed the hell we'd let loose, Lilith appeared. She quickly showed her strength to an unprepared world. No, the real world had no idea what was happening but the hunting world was faced with something the likes of which they had never witnessed.

Not two months after Lilith's first strike I met Ruby. No, I didn't trust her at first, even if she had saved my ass. She was a demon, and thus far my track record with demons was anything but friendly, but soon she showed her true colors and became my hunting partner. She helped me tap into the powers I thought dormant. Dean would have flipped his lid. His brother, fighting the good fight with a reformed demon by his side, worse yet, a demon who had helped him tap into his powers. I knew that part my brother would have nailed me for, but I don't care. Dean was gone and I had been left to fight the good fight by myself and when the battles got fiercer, the demons stronger, I'd had to as well. I'd managed to stay off that darkside path that Dean had been so convinced I'd fall onto once I tapped into these powers. Instead, in the past four years, I had saved more people with these powers than ever imagined. Ruby had helped me get to that point and now she wanted to just leave?

"Sam, we don't have much time. Just go, get Bobby to a hospital. You've already lost too many people in this war; at least you can walk away from this situation with one of us."

She stood and headed back towards where the demonic horde was beginning to stir once more; their momentary stun worn off. She turned back to me, her eyes black as death. She smiled at me and then disappeared. I knew that was the last time I'd see her. These demons weren't normal; they killed everything in their path.

I focused my attention back to Bobby. The rebar was short and had luckily disconnected from the wall. I could get him to the car and in a matter of minutes I had. I put Bobby in the back seat of the impala and wiped my own blood away from my head. I was away from that death trap minutes later, guilt mingled with the relief of saving at least one person.

An hour later, I was sitting in Bobby's hospital room, the stitches in my head already starting to itch. Bobby would survive and that was a relief. Four years of this God forsaken war had nearly stripped me of everyone I cared for. Lilith targeted me from the beginning, whether she was afraid of me or just annoyed I never quite knew. The first casualty had been Jo. She was working in a bar in Memphis. We thought it had been a hunt gone wrong. That was until Ellen and Missouri's bodies had been discovered. Soon afterwards people I'd gotten close to started to drop like flies. We couldn't figure out how these people were getting taken down so easily. I threw myself into the fight after Ellen's death.

Soon, the demon army was being countered by one made of hunters. This war had waged for three solid years but there was a feel to it that it would be ending soon and I knew who to get to so to make it end. Lilith had a second in command. No one who saw him lived. Word of mouth through the demon grapevine had given up his gender and that Lilith was using him as her secret weapon. I knew that if I could get to him, I could get to her and even if it took me out I would end her, end them both.

My cell rang and I quickly fished it out of my pocket. Once Bobby was settled I'd sent out the word to my "troops." This was ending tonight. I wanted any and all intel I could get. I looked at the caller ID. It was Emma. Emma was a hunter, a seer, and pretty much my inside source.

"Emmy, tell me you've got something."

"We've found them Sam. Both of them and for real this time."

"Where?"

"Sam I don't want you going alone-"

"No, Em, this ends tonight."

I could hear her sigh on the other end. She could see the future it seemed, but for some reason, I was her major blind spot and that had always worried her.

"They're close. Most likely what happened tonight wasn't just a trap, they wanted to make sure you were in town. They've set up in the old textile mill on Warburton Street. It's 20 minutes from the hospital. Sam, please, just be careful."

"You too," I said before I closed the phone.

I looked at Bobby. I knew that if he were awake right now he'd be telling me how stupid I was for doing this and how doing this alone was a suicide wish. He'd lost friends too, hell, pretty much everyone who was still fighting had lost someone at this point. They'd lost a mother, a father, lover, or sibling. Hell, in the 8 years since I'd been back in the game, I'd lost all those and more. It had to end tonight. I knew going in all gung-ho probably meant my death but if I could just weaken Lilith and her little solider boy even the slightest bit, maybe the others could take her down. We'd tried before, early on to take her out. It was our mistake to think we could do it so easily in those early days.

This time things were different, I was different. I flexed my hand; I could feel the powers within me. They ran through me like electrical currents. I don't think Azazeal ever planned for my powers to do this. I was to be his little play thing, a good little soldier boy full of death and destruction. There was death and destruction all right, but not for human kind. My powers had more uses than I think he would believe and now I planned on using them to bring this to an end. Among my powers I had the ability to wrench a demon from its human host and send its sorry ass back to hell. No, there would be no hell for Lilith and her company. I was sending that white-eyed little bitch not to hell; I was making sure she was gone for good. I grabbed a nearby notepad and scribbled down what I knew was a half-assed goodbye to Bobby but anymore than that and the guilt would eat away at me too much.

I stood and as I headed out of the room I grabbed my jacket from the chair in the corner. Four more years older and Dean's old leather jacket still looked as good as it had when our father had worn it. I threw the jacket on and told the nurse that I'd return in a couple hours knowing full well that I probably wouldn't.

The drive was silent. My head was a mess. I knew this had to end tonight but how I'd do it was still fuzzy. Would I take out her little lap dog and then go for her, or just ignore the lap dog and go straight for her? Could I even get close enough to her to make a difference? I knew my powers had a limitation. Even with four years of practice, the exorcism power still required me to be within close range and even worse took a moment of concentration. I parked a block away from the building, grabbed what few weapons I thought I'd need and headed toward the building.

I'm almost shocked to see that there are only two demons guarding the door. Either Lilith was cocky or I really did have the element of surprise. They'd planned to attack me, never expected I'd make the first move. I made my way to the entrance and take out the guards, unfortunately the bodies they were in have long been dead. I headed into the building, which really appeared to be a massive open space. Two doors ahead of me led into the main space.

Nothing would ever prepare me for what I found on the other end of those doors.

_***End flashback***_

I stay tight lipped as the thing in front of me comes closer.

"What? No warm welcome? No tight embrace for a brother thought gone?"

"You're not my brother."

The thing laughs a barking laugh that almost seems to echo around us.

"That's where you're wrong. I am your brother, at least in body."

That catches my attention. My expression must have faltered for a second because the thing cocks an eyebrow at me.

"You don't know do you," it says almost surprised. "With all your inside information and training you can't figure it out? Hell, you had a demon at your side for the better part of 4 years and you still can't tell the difference."

The eyes go black again as he smiles once more. His hand raises and I find myself pinned to a nearby wall.

"Wow, Sammy, I'm amazed. It's been, what, 8 years since we first met and even after a little run with you , you still can't figure me out."

I can feel my stomach drop as realization hits me.

"Meg?"

"In the flesh…well, more like in your brother's flesh." Meg runs a hand through Dean's longer hair, "You know, with a few changes."

"How," I scream.

Meg comes even closer to me; we're almost nose to nose. My heart's pounding in my chest. I know I can easily break her hold but I need to know. I have to know if my brother's still in there.

"It's simple. After our little stint together I found myself lost. _Father_ wasn't too happy with my little rebellion against his master plan. He wanted nothing to do with me, his own _daughter_, and he disowned me for a stupid meat suit," there was a bitter tone to her voice.

" But you were special to him and I hated you for that. Then you opened the gates and let Lilith free and I saw my chance. Azazel may not have wanted me but if I showed my worth I could have a better, more powerful boss to follow. I worked my way up the ranks and soon I was her second in command."

She pats my face and turns from me. With her back turns I try to move my arm, to make sure I can break her hold. My arm moves and I know it's just a matter of time now.

"Once I was at Lilith's side I learned about your brother's deal. Poor little Sammy got himself killed and loyal, pathetic, soldier boy Dean sold his soul to the highest bidder to get him back. Fath-_Azazel_ was gone and you proved you were weak. Well, I made my move. I knew Lilith would have Dean's contract. It took some convincing, but I made her see the damage that could be caused if we had Dean's body. She wanted to just kill you both and she almost did that one time. But there's something about you that spooks her. So I guess I have you to thank for this new body. I knew you couldn't get Dean out of his deal so I just bided my time. Finally, the deal was up and when Dean came to the crossroads expecting to meet his end at the claws of the hell hounds he found me."

Meg turns back to me; the black has once more gone from Dean's eyes.

"It was so simple. I took Dean and when Lilith chose to strike, I chose to target people I knew you cared for. The Harvelle girl was the easiest. Her stupid crush on this body made her an easy pray. Your brother screamed as I broke her neck. He kept on screaming as I took out Ellen and that psychic of yours. I swear I can still hear his screams in this head from time to time," she finishes with a sadistic smile.

That is all I needed. I pull myself away from the wall and sling my arm. Meg is caught off guard and goes flying. I know I can't damage Dean's body too badly. God only knows what damage has been done to it in the past four year but I have to hold out hope that he is still in there, that he will survive this.

Meg stands, "Looks like Sammy boy's been practicing. Been using those gifts Azazel gave you, I see. That's ok, just means my killing you will be more fun. I'm always up for a challenge. No matter the power, I'm still stronger."

She throws out Dean's arm as I stalk towards her. She tries again when nothing happens, Dean's eyes going wide as Meg realizes that her confidence has become her undoing.

This time I smile, "You're right, I have been practicing and I've got a few tricks up my sleeves."

She screams as I raise my hand and pin her to the wall. I focus and Dean's body starts to gag. Slowly I pull that demon bitch out of my brother and make sure she can't harm anyone else ever again.

With a flash and a strong smell of sulpher, she's gone from him. I close my hand and drop it to my side. Moments later Dean's body hits the ground with a sickening thud. He isn't moving and I can't see if he's breathing.

"Oh god," I say under my breath. My chest tightens again. I'm too late. He's gone. I finally find a way to save him and I'm too late. I start to walk towards him to check for a pulse, my final hopes that he's still alive. Before I can get to him I feel a strong force push against me and I'm airborne.

I hit the ground with a crunch and I'm sure I've broken my hand again, maybe the wrist, either way, there's a hot white pain shooting up my arm. I get to my feet, cradling my arm to my chest, and turn around to see a small angelic looking child standing in front of me. Her blonde curls and pale skin make her look almost like a porcelain doll than a real girl. Her eyes are solid white as she frowns at me and shows that she's anything but angelic.

Lilith.

She looks down at Dean's lifeless body as her frown deepens.

"She was my favorite. Now that's a good body wasted because you just won't die. You've been bad Sam Winchester, very very bad. Now it's time that I punish you."

She raises her arm and I go flying again, the pain from my broken limb having distracted me. Nothing breaks this time when I land but it still hurts. She stands over me, curls falling into her face. Her little foot finds my offending limb and stomps on it, keeping the heel of her shoe on the broken bone. I can't help but scream out. She responds with a smile.

"I can see why Azazel favored you. You would have made a good soldier. He could have used you well, a wolf among the sheep. No one would have suspected one of their own to have such destructive powers. You could have been a monster among the hunters."

"I'm not a monster," I say through gritted teeth.

She cocks her head and giggles. "Oh Sam, that's where you're wrong. You are a monster, a freak, an abomination among your kind. Even your own brother thought that from time to time but he let love blind him. He was always afraid of you; of what you would become. The murders you'd commit."

"I'm not the murder here, you white-eyed bitch."

She twists her foot. I hear another crunch of bone and another scream escapes my lips. I can't focus, I need to focus but the pain in my arm is too distracting.

"Not the murderer? You've murdered hundreds of my kind, Sam. And what about your brother? Look at him Sam. Look at his unmoving body and tell me you're not a murderer. You killed your brother, Sam. No, you may not have held the weapon that killed him but it's because of you he's dead. He sold his soul for you and how do you repay him, you use those demonic powers of yours to wield the killing blow."

"No," I say as I turn my head and look at Dean's still unmoving body. Did I really kill my own brother? After 4 years of wanting revenge for his death am I the one who is ultimately responsible.

"No," I scream at her as I throw up my other hand and mentally push her off of me. She goes skidding a few feet away from me but far enough for me to get to my feet.

She regains her footing and giggles again, "Oh Sam, you can't save yourself or your brother. I came to bring hell on Earth and I will succeed in doing that and taking out the legendary Winchesters all at the same time."

Her eyes turn milky white again as she looks up, the ground begins to shake.

"I, Sam Winchester, am indestructible….you are only human."

The ground shakes harder and I close my eyes and try to focus. This is my only shot, I have to end this. Maybe I didn't save Dean, but I can at least save the world. I can hear the roof of the building starting to crumble around me but my focus is getting stronger. I open my eyes and look at her.

"I may be human, but you are only a demon and no demon is immortal." I raise my hand and concentrate. I don't know if the child she is possessing is alive, but unfortunately I don't have time to split hairs. I concentrate harder, find the demon within the host and grab hold.

Lilith grunts, "What are you doing?"

"Something inhuman," I start to pull, but soon discover this will be harder than expected.

"No," she screams as she feels her hold on the host loosening.

I concentrate even harder. My head starts to ache and soon the ache turns into a piercing pain. Even in the early days of training it was never this bad. Lilith is the strongest demon I've tried this on. My vision starts to get fuzzy around the edges but I keep my eyes on Lilith. I can feel blood starting to trickle down my nose. This may be too much for me but if it is, I'm taking us both out.

"No, you can't do this," Lilith screams as she raises her hands to the ceiling. She's literally bringing the building down around us. She starts to gag and black smoke seeps from the host's mouth, the pallor of the skin turning sickly gray. I gather what little strength I have left and with one final burst, Lilith is removed from her host, who drops to the ground, dead. From the looks of it, the poor child had been dead for months. I close my hand and in a fiery flash, Lilith's demonic flame is permanently extinguished.

The building is too unstable to remain standing and I'm too weak to escape. I sway on my feet as the pain in my head worsens. My legs give out and I hit the ground hard. The ceiling is falling down in bigger chunks now and I'm going to let it. I succeeded and failed all at the same time. Lilith is dead but I've lost Dean once more. I turn my head to look at Dean a final time and as my vision quickly blackens, I can't help but wonder why he isn't there.

Then something unexpected happens. I actually wake up. I slowly felt myself being dragged from the darkness and as my senses come back to me, I realize that I don't feel solid concrete under me anymore. I feel cool, damp grass. I don't understand. How am I outside?

I slowly open my eyes and the red light of early dawn makes my head pound. I close my eyes again and slowly try to move. All of my nerves feel like they're on fire, like I've short circuited my system. I lie there for what I know is minutes because the light becomes more intense. I finally open my eyes again when my nerves are tingling more than burning.

I lean forward and get into a sitting position as my muscles join the protest with my nerves. I nearly fall back over as I apply pressure to my battered hand and wrist, having forgotten the damage done by both Meg and Lilith. With my arm cradled again against my chest I wipe away the blood from my nose and look at what remains of the building. I want to scream. I don't understand how I got out here and Dean was left in there.

I slowly get to my feet and sway for a second before I'm steady. The sun is almost up and there's a part of me that's disappointed that I made it to see it.

"I haven't seen a sun rise in three years," a rough voice behind me says as I'm frozen in place. It can't be, there was no way.

I slowly turn towards the sunrise and see a figure blacked out by the sun.

The figure turns to me, the sun no longer blocking out his features. His eyes are filled with pain, with grief, with exhaustion and they've lost their spark but most of all the eyes that look at me with unshed tears are green. There is no trace of demonic black. The smile is no longer murderous; instead the weak, almost wavering smile is filled with love.

I sway once more as my own tears begin to burn with tears. My brain screams at me again to say something, anything but I'm terrified that the moment I do I'll wake up and this will have all been part of a concussed dream.

"Dean?"

"Yeah, Sammy."

I dive for him, forgetting the pain in my arm, forgetting the screaming nerve endings and muscles. I wrap my good arm around him and pull him as close to me as I can get. He wraps his arms around me and we cling to each other like brothers newly reunited on the battlefield when all was thought lost. Our war has been fought and there have been many casualties. We're more broken than solid but we are alive.

As the sun fully rises, enveloping us both in warm light, I forget about the road ahead and only one thing comes to my mind.

My brother is alive….

My brother is alive……

_My _brother is alive!

The End

A/N 2: Read and Review, no flames. If you didn't like it, just move along, nothing to see here. Also, I don't believe that this is where this series is going to end...don't know when, but there will be a fourth one-shot in this series that will be called "Fading", possibly even a multi-chaptered series after the fourth one-shot because I just feel like I'm not done with this storyline yet.


End file.
